The Phantom of the Opera: Untangling Fate’s String
by InuDemonGurl6060
Summary: Erik has been given a second chance at love. Will he be able to make things right between him and Christine? Or will he make more a mess of things? The only thing Erik does not know is that he must have her love before perfoming Don Juan!
1. Chapter 1

He walked slowly to his destination. He was very healthy for his age, but he was still very old, so he couldn't move as fast as he did when he was younger.

He sighed, memories came flooding back to him like waves on the shore. He looked around the cemetery, further in front of him was the Daae mausoleum. He could see Christine sitting on the steps, singing to her Angel of Music. He smiled as the memory faded; he missed her beautiful voice and face. His blue eyes drifted to a large gravestone not far from him, his eyes filled with the familiar tears. He walked over and placed his hand over the name on the grave. _Christine de Chagny. _

He wanted to remember everything about the place. The grass, the trees, he wanted to remember the way the sun shined down on her grave, casting a glow on the cold stone. He wanted to remember her picture, the picture of the beauty he had always loved. He tried to imagine what the stone would look like with his last name on it, and how Christine would look with out the fancy jewels and outfit that she adorned in her picture on her gravestone.

Erik silently laid the red rose down on her grave. He stood up and looked once more at the grave. He looked at the rose, the red rose tied with a black ribbon, with her engagement ring tied on it.

Erik was never really sure why she had given the ring back to him. Was it out of pity? Did she feel sorry for the 'pitiful creature of darkness', as she had called him? Or did she give the ring to him to show her love? He doubted that idea, but longed for it the most. He was truly alone now that Christine was gone. True, he was alone after she left him, but he had always felt connected to her somehow, and the moment she moved on he knew, because he felt a part of himself left also.

He felt that he was daft for feeling this for this woman, who left him for another, who betrayed him and hurt him. He should hate her! After the trust he had for her and the love he felt!! She denied him and betrayed him!! He had every right to hate her! He sighed again, he could never hate Christine, he was hurt and angry, but he didn't hate her. As he grew older he started controlling his anger much better, something he had little control over when he was younger. He remembered the last time he was truly angry, over thirty years ago.

The one true friend he had since he was sixteen had been killed. She had come to visit him one night and he was so pleased to see her! It had been months since her last visit. She told Erik that she wasn't able to come and visit these passed few months because the doctors had diagnosed her as being pregnant. He was overjoyed for her; she was already at least four months along, so they discussed things about the baby and what the name was going to be. He was happy for her, she was only thirty-seven at the time, for she was only eight years younger than he. They talked long into the night and she eventually left to journey back home. The next day Erik learned that during the night the carriage taking her home had crashed and everyone was killed, including her.

Erik snapped back from his memory. Tears welled up in his eyes again as he thought about his lost friend. He walked down the steps to the lower class part of the cemetery and walked to a small grave, the name read:

_Aunalisa Naomi Destler-Trumane _

_January 26, 1852- August 3, 1889 _

He was glad that she had Destler put on her grave, which was the name she used for her last name, since she couldn't remember her own, she used his last name.

"You were a good friend my dear" he said in his deep voice.

He got up and looked around one last time. This would be the last time he came here, for he was going to leave Paris, he wanted to go somewhere peaceful for his last for years of life.

He turned to leave when something caught his eye. In the higher class part of the cemetery there was a glowing light, it was abnormally bright and out of place, so he decide to investigate it.

He shielded his eyes from the brightness, he had no idea what was causing this. It was horribly bright! He kept his eyes covered for a long time, he wasn't entirely sure how long it was, but he was completely surprised when he heard his name.

"_Erik"_

He slowly uncovered his eyes, his breathe caught in his throat at the sight before him.

"Auna" he gasped in a barely audible whisper.

"_Erik, I have a proposition for you"_

Erik looked at her, she looked the same she did the night she was killed, nearly thirty years ago.

"What kind of proposition?"

"_What if you had the chance to change everything, change how your life turned out."_

"What??"

"_Erik, have you become dense over the past thirty years? I'm saying I can give you a chance to go back and change everything, you can get Christine back, change your actions, and basically change fate"_

Erik's eyes widened at her words, could she really do this? Could fate really be changed?

"Can this really be done?"

"_If it couldn't do you think I would offer? Erik, if you accept you will have to change a lot of your actions to win Christine"_

"What exactly do you mean?"

"_I cannot tell you that Erik, you must find these changes on your own, this is all up to you"_

Erik thought for a moment, he wasn't sure what to do. What if went back and the same thing happened and he went through the same torture again? He glanced over at Christine's grave, he thought of her smile and her touch, and her voice.

He looked at Auna's spirit, he thought for another moment, a gentle breeze blew by him and he could've sworn he heard Christine's voice singing, singing for him.

"I want it Auna!! I want to go back!!!"

Auna smiled.

"_I will see you in the past Erik" _

She disappeared, and Erik was plunged into darkness for a moment he could hear voices all speaking quickly around him, he could hear Christine singing and Auna singing as well. Suddenly he could see people around him, but everything was moving quickly in reverse, he saw the performance of _Don Juan,_ he saw himself and Christine on the stage, and then he saw the cemetery, him fighting Raoul, Christine singing. Everything was going by in a blur; he closed his eyes and could still hear the singing of the opera, the talking of stagehands, and the screeching of Carlotta.

Soon everything was quiet, his eyes were shut tightly and he was breathing hard. He was lying on something soft; he opened his eyes to see his familiar room in his home under the opera house. He looked around and saw the lake and the candles. He touched his face and felt the cool surface of the mask. His hands were young looking again and he wore black trousers and a white shirt.

"How far back did I go?"

He looked around, and then he heard Carlotta screeching her part of _Hannibal. _


	2. Chapter 2

"This trophy from our saviors, from our saviors from the enslaving force of Rome!"

Erik groaned from the catwalk above the stage. Carlotta's voice was even more agonizing listening to it for the second time in his life. He looked down and saw the ballet dancers standing off from the side. He saw the little Giry girl, Auna was behind her. He smiled at the eighteen year old, she had her long black hair in a braid and pinned behind her head, her green and brown eyes were shining like normal. In front of her was his angel, Christine, she was sixteen now, and as beautiful as ever. He thought about it for a moment and realized that he was ten years older than her. So, at this time he was twenty six. But why did he feel so much older?

He glanced down once more at the dancers; his beautiful Christine was standing there giggling with the Giry girl. Oh how he longed to hear her sing!!

He rubbed his forehead as Carlotta screeched, her bat like voice unfortunately echoing throughout the opera house. Erik took notice of the manager coming towards the stage with two other fellows.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Rehearsals, as you see, are under way, for a new production of Chalumeau's 'Hannibal'"

"M. Lefevre, I am rehearsing."

"M. Reyer, Mme. Giry, ladies and gentlemen, please, if I can have your attention, thank you. As you know, for some weeks there have been rumors of my imminent retirement. I can now tell you that these were all true, and it is my pleasure to introduce to you  
the two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire, M. Richard Firmin and M. Gilles Andre."

Erik stared at the two from above. They were two imbeciles, and always would be!!

"And we're deeply honored to introduce our new patron, the Vicomte de Chagny!!"

Erik growled when the fop walked onto the stage, he glanced to Christine.

"It's Raoul" she whispered.

"My parents and I are honored to support all the arts, especially the world-renowned Opera Populaire"

"Christine he's so handsome!"

"Gentlemen, Signora Carlotta Guidicelli, our leading soprano for five seasons now."

Piangi snorted.

"Signor Ubaldo Piangi"

"An honor, Signor. I believe I'm keeping you for your rehearsal; I will be here this evening to share your great triumph. My apologies, monsieur"

"Thank you, M. Le Vicomte, once more, if you please, Signor"

"He looove me! Love a me love a me love a me"

Erik rolled his eyes, the ballet came out on the stage, of course his eyes were focused on Christine, she never ceased to amaze him with her talents.

"We take a particular pride here in the excellence of our ballets, monsieur"

"I see why, especially the little blonde angel"

"My daughter, Meg Giry"

"And that exceptional beauty, no relation I trust?"

"Christine Daae, promising talent, M. Firmin, very promising"

"Daae, you say? No relation to the famous Swedish violinist?"

"His only child, an orphan at seven when she came to live and train in the Ballet Dormitory."

"An orphan, you said?"

"I think of her as a daughter also, gentlemen will you please move this way!!"

Erik continued to watch from the cat walk. He winced as Carlotta's voice pierced his ears, he smiled remembering what was coming up, with the thought he walked gracefully and silently over to the back drops.

"All day!! All they want is dancing!!!"

"The Vicomte is very excited about tonight's gala!"

"Ahh, hello hello, I hope he is excited by dancing girls as your new managers because I WILL NOT BE SINGING!!!! Bye bye dancing girls, bye bye!!!"

"What do we do??"

"Grovel, grovel ,grovel"

"Right right!!"

"Principessa, bella diva!!!"

"Si Si!!

"Goddess of song!!!"

Across the stage where the ballerinas stood, one girl watched the cat walks like a hawk, her piercing green eyes searching every corner and every shadow for one figure.

"Everybody very quiet!!!!!"

"Think of me; think of me fondly when we've said gooooooodbyyye!!"

Madame Giry looked up into the darkness of the cat walks, knowing who was up there, it was just a matter of time before something happened………

CRASH!!!!!!

"I HATE YOU!!!!!!"

The backdrop for tonight's performance was now lying on Carlotta, of course making her screech.

"Madame!! These things do happen"

"These things do happen!!! For the past three years these things happen!! And if you do not stop them from happening, this thing does not happen!!!!"

Auna glared up towards the catwalks, _Oh Erik!!! _She glanced over at Madame Giry, who was walking towards the managers with Erik's note.

"I have a note from the Opera Ghost"

"Oh good god you're all obsessed"

Madame Giry continued,

"He welcomes you to his opera house"

"HIS opera house?!!?"

"And ask the you continue to leave Box 5 empty for his use" she pointed her cane up and the box closest to the stage.

"And says that his monthly salary is due"

"His salary!!!?"

"Monsieur Lefevre gave him 20,000 franks a month"

"20,000 franks?!?!"

"Perhaps you can afford more? With the Vicomte as your patron"

"We were going to announce that at tonight's gala, but it seems that we will have to cancel since it seems we have lost our star!!!!" Firmin said while ripping up the note.

"What are we going to due?!? We should have to refund a full house Andre!! A full house!!!"

"Christine Daae could sing it sir"

"What a chorus girl?? Don't be silly"

"She has been well taught, let her sing for you"

Auna watched Christine walk up to the front of the stage, this was her chance to leave. As Christine sang the first few lines of the song, she snuck off the stage.

She silently walked backstage and ran towards the back of the theater. She passed Madame Giry's door and turned down one of the smaller narrower halls. She walked to a candle holder and pulled it down, making the wall slide out of place and she stepped in.

Her journey only lasted a few moments; she reached her destination within minutes. She walked in the darkness and pulled back the velvet curtain. As she presumed, Erik was home, sitting at his organ.

"When I gave you a second chance to make things right, I didn't mean dropping a backdrop on Carlotta!!"

Erik turned and looked at her, he merely smiled.

"I do not honestly believe that dropping a backdrop on that toad is what made me lose Christine to that fop Auna"

Auna rubbed her hand over her face and groaned. Erik clearly missed the point when she told him to "make things right". How dense he was being!!

"Erik, you clearly missed my point!! When I said make tings right, I did not just mean getting Christine!! I meant doing good things!! Example, not dropping heavy things on Carlotta!!!"

Erik snorted.

"Erik!! No matter how deserving she is of it or how funny it is not kind to drop things on people!!!!!"

"Stop yelling at me like a child Auna!!! I am doing this over and I will do it my way!!"

"Well your way is not the way you will make things better Erik!!! You're doing the same you did before!! I did not give you this chance just to make a mess again!!"

Erik was fuming! She always back talked him, why couldn't she be afraid of him like everyone else!! She was such an annoyance at times, she was always like that. She was a good person, but good god she had such a temper!! Erik paced back and forth for a few moments, he glanced at Auna out of the corner of his eye, she was standing there, with her arms crossed with her common look of annoyance on her face. Erik was not stupid, he knew he made a mess of things last time, he knew what he had to change to make things right.

Erik walked over to a chair and sat down. He took his mask off and threw it on the small table beside him and ran his hands over his face. He glanced down at the lake, the dark water rippled as it hit the shore. He listened to the sound of _Hannibal _echo throughout the opera house. Auna sighed; she looked over at Erik and shook her head.

"I'm going back up, I have to practice and get something to eat before the gala" she walked over and picked up her black cloak and draped it over her, covering her costume. She walked over to Erik and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you'll figure this out Erik. I will see you after the performance; I will be going straight to bed though"

Erik nodded his head. Auna sighed and pulled back the curtain to the passage and walked through.

Erik was a smart man. He was a genius! It annoyed her to think he was acting so densely! She ran towards the kitchens, her ballet slippers patting the ground lightly. Erik was really angering her, it was only a matter of time until he could change things, or make them worse. She just hoped he would see before it was too late.

What did you think?? Let me know how horrible it really was!! Auna's part in this story will be described in either the next chapter or the one after, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them, I will answer them. Also, I'm basing this completely off of the 2004 movie, with a few of my own things thrown in.


End file.
